James Guzman Given Death Penalty for ’91 Daytona Murder

59-year-old James Guzman, the man convicted in the 1991 murder of David Colvin in Daytona Beach, has been sentenced to death with unanimous recommendation from a Volusia County jury. The sentencing came after a week-long resentencing hearing resulting in a 12-0 decision by the jury to put Guzman to death.

Guzman was first convicted of murder in another killing, that of a woman in Miami-Dade County. He’d been released from prison for less than four months when he stabbed Colvin 19 times with a sword at a now-defunct hotel on Ridgewood Ave in Daytona. He then stole money and a diamond ring from the victim, reportedly selling them for crack cocaine.

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A Long, Hard Process

The process of sentencing Guzman for the grisly murder of Colvin has been tricky, and has now drawn on for over three decades. He’s been convicted two other times, with the state’s policy on the death penalty serving to kick the can down the road. The last conviction was in 2016, in which a jury voted 11-1 for the death penalty. That was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court on the grounds that it wasn’t unanimous.

Then, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law in April 2023 allowing for death sentences with a new standard of 8-4, opening Guzman up to a resentencing. The state pursued this opportunity, easily clearing the bar with their 12-0 jury decision. “The jury spoke loudly with a 12-0 death recommendation,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza. “We are one step closer to reaching a final disposition in a case that has eluded justice for too long.”

Executions of Volusia County Killers

Provided this death sentence isn’t also overturned for some reason, Guzman would be the fifth person executed by the state for crimes committed in Volusia County. The ones to come before him are as follows:

• Johnny Paul Witt (March 6th, 1985) – one victim
• Jeffrey Joseph Daugherty (November 7th, 1988) – four victims
• Roy Allen Harich (April 24th, 1991) – one victim
• Gerald Eugene Stano (March 23rd, 1998) – one victim